How Do You Leave the Past Behind?
by All-Knowing-Oracle
Summary: During RENT.Mark befriends a nurse who saves him after a bicycle accident.But if Mark ever wants to become more than just friends,he might have to learn how to be a daddy...MarkOC
1. Chapter 1

_**How Do You Leave the Past Behind?**_

**Chapter One**

"Hey Roger, where did you put the shaving cream?"Mark Cohen called as he walked out of the bathroom into the 'living room' area of the loft that he and his best friend Roger Davis shared. Mark stopped when he saw Roger and his girlfriend Mimi Marquez together on the couch, kissing. Roger barely looked up at Mark as he walked into the room.

"I don't know,"he muttered.

"Did you use it last?"Mark continued.

"Maybe..."Roger said, not really listening to Mark at all.

"Well, were you in the bathroom when you-"

"Look Mark, I'm a little busy..."Roger said, motioning to Mimi. Mark sighed.

"Right...I guess I won't be shaving tonight,"he said, walking over to his little corner of the loft where he kept all his belongings and clothes. He pulled on a sweatshirt and a jacket, grabbing his beloved camera.

"Are you going out?"Roger asked Mark, rather hopefully.

"Yeah, I am. I'll be back around-"

"Okay, whatever, see you,"Roger said dismissively, returning his attention to Mimi, who giggled. Mark rolled his eyes, grabbing his back pack and heading out the door, making sure to slam it behind him. Not that anyone would notice.

He and Roger had always been best friends. Nothing had ever come between them before. And Mark hadn't expected Mimi _to _come between them. She was _his_ friend too, but...she was Roger's girlfriend. So both Roger and Mimi made sure to give each other more attention that they gave Mark. He was just the third wheel. As usual. When he was with Maureen and Joanne, he was the third wheel. When he was with Collins and Angel, he was the third wheel. And when Roger and Mimi decided to acknowledge his existence while he was with them...he was still the third wheel. And it had been even worse lately, as Roger and Mimi got closer.

Mark walked out of the building, grabbing his bike and climbing on. He had no idea where he was going. But he knew Roger and Mimi wanted him out, and honestly, he was glad to get away. They were becoming pretty sickening anyways. He and Maureen had never been like that when they were dating...then again, they had only been together about three months before Maureen dumped him for another woman.

It was raining as Mark began to ride off down the sidewalk, pulling his hood up over his head and swinging his backpack onto his back. He rode around the corner, still thinking about Roger and Mimi and Maureen...

Mark's mind wasn't focused on the road as he glided along the wet sidewalks, crossing the street absentmindedly. He was wondering about Roger and Mimi as he rode out into the middle of the street...while it was a green light.

Mark didn't see the taxi coming until it was two inches away. He gasped, trying to stop...but his bike tires skidded on the wet street. The taxi slammed into Mark's bike, tossing him off and sending him flying a good five feet into the street. Mark rolled across the wet pavement, feeling a surging pain through his entire body. He let out a moan and a sharp breath, as everything around him turned blurry. That was it. He knew it. He was going to die right then and there. He was going to be run over, or die from pain...he could hear honking and shouting all around him...

Suddenly he felt warm hands touching him. _'Oh God,'_he thought. _'I must be hallucinating or something...I'm dying! I'm really dying!'_

"Sir! Sir, can you hear me?"he heard a female voice calling out. Mark moaned a little, trying to answer her.

"Y-uhhhhhh..."was all he could get out.

"Okay, don't try to move anything. I'm going to get you help,"the voice continued. Mark didn't really understand. But the woman sounded so reassuring. He decided to follow her orders.

"Somebody call an ambulance! This man is hurt!"the voice called out. He felt a warm hand run over his forehead, as he heard running footsteps and more yells and gasps.

"You're going to be okay. We're getting you an ambulance. Just hang in there..."the girl instructed. Mark moaned his response, just to let the girl know that he was still alive. And then, he gave in, and let the darkness swallow him.

* * *

**I'm always picking on poor Marky! Haha. But don't worry, things will start to look up for him...for a few chapters anyways! Hee hee This story is going to be different that my other ones, but I hope people still like it! Send me your feedback and suggestions.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Mark opened his eyes...and found himself in a hospital room. He frowned, looking around. He was laying on a bed, in pajamas that were not his. When he sat up, a terrible pain went surging through his back.

"_Ah_!"he let out a moan. That's when he realized his arm was in a sling. He could also feel a bandage stuck to his forehead. He reached over with his good hand and grabbed his glasses, which were sitting on a side table, improving his blurry vision. He looked around...it was sunny outside, though everything was wet.

That's when he remembered the night before. The rain, the bike, the car... he had been hit. And apparently he was hurt. He pulled the blankets off of himself with the hand that wasn't in a sling, and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Well, no broken legs. That was a good sign...

"Hey there."He nearly fell out of the bed at the sound of a girl's voice.

"Oh! Um...hi,"he greeted. There was a nice, smiling nurse in the doorway. She had light blonde hair that was tied back into a messy sort of bun, bluish-green eyes and a big smile.

"How are you feeling?"she asked Mark. He noticed she had a slight British accent.

"Um, pretty good, you know, considering I was hit by a car,"he replied.

"Good, you know what happened. I'm no good with amnesia patients,"the nurse joked, walking into the room. Mark grinned.

"I don't think I bumped my head too bad. There was this lady helping me out..."Mark recalled.

"That lady was me,"the nurse replied, grinning.

"Oh! Well, er...thanks then...uh..."Mark stopped, realizing that he had no idea what her name was.

"Emily,"the nurse replied. "Emily Weston."

"I'm Mark Cohen,"Mark replied.

"Well Mark Cohen, you're lucky I was walking home late last night,"Emily replied.

"I sure am,"Mark agreed. "I doubt anyone else would have even stopped their car when they saw a guy lying in the street."

"Around here, probably not,"Emily replied. She was holding a clipboard and looking at some notes. "Okay...you've fractured your right wrist, in case you haven't noticed. You've also got two stitches in your forehead, and a bruised tailbone. Nothing too serious, but you should probably take it easy for a little while. And as far as I know, you'll be out of here in an hour."

"Great! Thanks Emily,"Mark said kindly. "So...are you a nurse?"

"Well, a nurse in training. I'm still finishing med school, and I'm working here as an intern,"Emily replied, flipping through some more papers on her clipboard. "Oh, by the way, your bike was, er...kind of crushed."Mark sighed...then a horrible idea suddenly struck him.

"_My bag_! What about my bag?"he demanded.

"All your belongings were retrieved. We didn't open your bag, that's against the law, but it's sitting over there with your clothes,"Emily assured him. Mark ran over to his backpack, opening it quickly and pulling out his camera. The lense had popped out...but other than that, no real damage. He let out a deep breath.

"Phew...that was a scare,"he sighed. Emily laughed a little.

"Are you a filmmaker?"she guessed.

"Uh yeah,"Mark replied, a little embarrassed at his sudden outburst, as he carefully put his camera back.

"What do you film? Movies?"Emily asked, scribbling some notes on a piece of paper.

"Well, I've been working on a documentary,"Mark explained.

"Really? On what?"Emily continued.

"Life in the East Village...the homeless...my friends,"Mark replied. Now that he thought about it, there wasn't really an actual topic to his documentary.

"Sounds pretty cool,"Emily said, nodding. "Oh, you're clothes are over there on that bed. Sorry we had to take them off. We couldn't bandage you while you were wet."

"Oh, right. It's fine,"Mark assured her.

"I'll come back and let you know when you're good to go,"Emily said. That's when Mark noticed her rubbing her stomach, which was slightly swollen, as she walked towards the door...

"Hey Emily!"Mark called. She turned. "Is it a boy or a girl?"Emily paused for a moment.

"What makes you think I'm pregnant?"she asked. Mark suddenly had a horrible sensation that he had just mistakenly assumed she was pregnant...

"Oh, I er...I don't...I just...you looked..."Then Emily laughed.

"I'm just messing with you,"she assured him. "I don't know what the baby is. I want it to be a surprise,"she replied, and Mark let out a sigh of relief.

"Nice sense of humor..."he muttered.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you or anything,"Emily assured him.

"You didn't!"Mark cried out quickly. Then he blushed, shrinking back onto the bed.

"You're funny, Mark Cohen,"Emily commented. "If you have any spare time from your documenting, maybe we could meet for coffee sometime?"she suggested. Mark paused for a second, registering the idea that he had just been asked out...and by a pregnant lady.

"Uh...sure! Yeah, here..."Mark pulled a soggy paper from his jacket pocket and grabbed a pen that was sitting on the bedside table, scribbling down he and Roger's phone number. He wasn't going to turn down the chance to be friends with a nice, friendly nurse. Even if there obviously was no chance of them ever being anything more than friends. "Here's my number. Call any time."Emily took the wet piece of paper, laughing a little.

"Thanks. I'll talk to you later!"she assured him, waving as she walked off. Mark waved back, grinning. Then he sighed. It was time for him to go back to his friends...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Meanwhile, Mark's friends were all sitting nervously in the loft. Roger and Tom Collins had gone out first thing that morning searching for Mark, and now Mimi, Maureen Johnson, Joanne Jefferson and Angel Dumott-Schunard were waiting anxiously around the loft. Mimi was pacing, as the others sat around.

"Mimi, honey, why don't you sit down for a second? You've been pacing around like that all morning,"Angel said calmly.

"I can't,"Mimi insisted. She played with her hair nervously. "Roger and I told Mark to leave last night...none of this would have happened if we had just let him stay!"Angel walked over to Mimi, taking her by the shoulders and forcing her to stop pacing.

"Sweetie, relax. It's all right, we're going to find Mark,"she insisted.

"What if something terrible's happened to him?"Maureen gasped dramatically. Angel shushed her.

"We're _not_ going to think like that,"she insisted. "I'm sure Mark is fine. He probably just got...er, held up someplace!"Suddenly Collins and Roger came walking into the loft.

"What did you find?"Maureen demanded, leaping up. Mimi, Maureen, Angel and Joanne all looked at Collins and Roger anxiously. They both looked very grim...

"We found Mark's bike..."Collins began. The girls all exchanged nervous glances. Collins took a deep breath. "It was tossed onto the sidewalk...and it was...well, destroyed."Roger nodded in agreement, keeping his head down. Maureen let out a gasp, throwing her hands to her mouth. Mimi's eyes widened.

"Oh my God..."she moaned softly. Roger couldn't even bring himself to make eye contact with any of them. Collins walked over to Angel, hugging her tightly.

"No sign of him _anywhere_?"Joanne asked.

"None,"Collins replied sadly.

"I don't even want to begin to imagine what could have happened..."Joanne sighed.

"This is all my fault!"Roger cried suddenly, kicking the wall in anger.

"Roger, honey, don't say that..."Angel said, reaching out to touch Roger's arm. Roger pulled away. He didn't deserve to be touched by someone as kind as Angel...

"How could I have been so stupid like that? God...if anything happens to him, I...I don't know what I'll do!"he sighed miserably. Mimi tried to approach him, but Roger wouldn't even go near her. He turned his back, walking across the loft, leaning against the wall, arms crossed in front of him. The others all exchanged sad glances...when suddenly the door to the loft opened.

"Oh my God! _Marky_!"Maureen went running over to Mark the second he walked into the loft. Mark nearly fell over from the force of her hug.

"Ow! Arm!"he cried as Maureen squeezed his fractured arm. Maureen gasped, pulling back and spotting his sling.

"Oh-my-God! What happened to you, Mark?"she cried.

"We were so worried about you, honey!"Angel added, also running over. The whole room went dashing over to Mark, crowding him in the doorway. Roger stayed where he was, planted to the floor in shock.

"Mark...thank God you're okay!"Mimi gasped. "We were so scared...we felt terrible about last night!"

"Really?"Mark asked, surprised. Collins had pushed his way over, wrapping Mark into a big hug.

"Oh man...you sure gave us a big scare!"he said, patting Mark's back. "Roger and I were out looking for you all morning, where were you hiding?"

"I was at the hospital,"Mark replied.

"Oh God, Mark we promise to take care of you from now on!"Maureen cried frantically. Mark laughed a little.

"That's okay, Maureen..._really_,"he assured her. Roger had finally come up to his friend. He hesitated, and when Mark made no move towards him, he moved over, hugging his friend tightly.

"God...we were so worried, man..."he said.

"Really? You seemed pretty anxious to get rid of me last night,"Mark snapped, rather coldly. Then he caught his friend's miserable expression.

"I know...Mark, I'm so sorry. You have no idea how responsible I felt, if anything had happened to you...I couldn't have lived with myself!"he said. He looked on the verge of tears, and now it was Mark's turn to feel guilty for teasing Roger like that. He patted his shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay. I didn't mean that...I'm not mad at you,"he assured him. Roger looked up at Mark.

"Well you should be. I'm really sorry, Mark..."Roger repeated sadly.

"Don't be. I'm fine. We're fine. Everything's okay now,"Mark said, smiling. Roger nodded, obviously trying not to let any tears out in front of everyone. He finally walked over to Mimi, letting her hug him.

"Come, sit down hun..."Angel lead Mark over to the couch, forcing him to sit, the others all following, still swarming around Mark. "What on earth happened?"

"Well, I went out riding my bike last night. I was crossing the street and my tires skidded, and I got hit by a car-"Mark began. Maureen let out a scream.

"Oh God!"Angel gasped.

"Were you in the cross walk? We might be able to sue for this..."Joanne said, her lawyer mind instantly at work.

"Let him finish!"Mimi urged.

"Okay, so I was hit...and I passed out on the street, but there was this nurse girl who was walking home. She saw the accident and she got help. I woke up this morning in the hospital with a fractured right wrist, two stitches in my head and a bruised something-or-other,"Mark explained.

"Your wrist is _fractured_!"Maureen screeched, though the others were all certain she had no idea what 'fractured' even really meant.

"Yeah, it's really not that bad though. The nurse just said I should take it easy..."Mark shrugged. The group was all smiling at Mark now.

"We're glad you're okay, man,"Collins said, speaking for the group.

"Yeah, we were all _really_ scared for you,"Maureen added.

"Thanks,"Mark said, grinning back. And for that day, Mark felt very appreciated by his friends...something he hadn't felt too often.

* * *

**Hey guys! Haha, I had to make Roger suffer for the first chapter...everyone seemed to be looking forward to guilty Roger anyways! Sorry if Emily was seeming kind of Mary Sue-ish so far. I haven't really had a chance to build on her character so far. I'll work on her in the next chapter though! I hope you like things so far, send me your questions/comments/complaints.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"_SPEAK_."Roger and Mark's answering machine rang out.

"_Hey Mark, it's Emily. I was just wondering if you were free to get together some time this week...I'll be around, my number is 306-5137. Give me a call if you want to meet. Talk to you later._"Roger looked up from his guitar, as Mark began to blush.

"Who's Emily?"he asked his roommate curiously.

"Uh, no one. Just some nurse that I met at the hospital,"Mark said quickly.

"Really? Sounds like she's interested in you,"Roger said, grinning.

"Uh, _no_,"Mark said, laughing a little.

"Mark, she just called to invite you out to coffee!"Roger pointed out.

"She's_ friendly_,"Mark insisted.

"Is she good-looking?"Roger continued.

"Yeah, she's pretty I guess. She's from England or something,"Mark explained.

"Wow, looks like Mark's finally got himself a date!"Roger teased.

"No Roger, it's_ not_ like that,"Mark assured him.

"Why? She just called and asked you out!"Roger repeated.

"She's pregnant, that's why!"Mark replied. Roger stopped.

"...oh,"he said. "Well...are you still gonna meet her?"

"Yeah. I still want to be friends with her,"Mark said.

"Cool,"Roger said, returning his attention to his guitar. Suddenly Angel and Maureen came bursting through the door.

"Marky! We're here to check on you!"Maureen called. Mark frowned.

"Check on me? Why?"he asked.

"Because you're disabled!"Maureen cried, pointing at Mark's strung-up arm.

"Maureen, for the thousandth time, I'm_ fine_..."Mark insisted. Angel had happily sat down on the duct-taped couch beside Roger, playing with her skirt.

"So, what's new with you boys?"she asked.

"Nothing-"Mark began.

"Some nurse from the hospital just called to ask Mark out,"Roger jumped in immediately.

"Ooh! Mark has a little girlfriend, huh?"Angel squealed excitedly.

"Oh my God, Marky's found a girlfriend? That is SO cute!"Maureen agreed. They both giggled happily.

"Yeah, only she's knocked up,"Roger added. They both stopped.

"Oh...well that takes the fun out of everything!"Angel grumbled.

"What's her name?"Maureen asked.

"Emily Weston,"Mark replied. "She's an intern training to become a nurse. She's really friendly, and she seems to be from out of the country. I figured I might as well help her make some friends here."

"Great! So when do we meet her?"Maureen asked. Mark suddenly paused...

"Uh...soon,"was all he could come up with.

"You should invite her over to the Life Café!"Angel said.

"Yeah, we can have another dinner party, it will be great!"Roger added. Mark stopped, remembering the LAST dinner party they had held at the Life Café...which had involved Maureen pulling her pants down and Collins and Angel making out on a table. Though Mark was not ashamed of his friend's behaviors, he couldn't help but think what a normal, rule-abiding person's reaction might be to that crowd...

"You can show off some of your table-dancing skills to your new little friend!"Maureen teased. Mark laughed awkwardly, just imagining what Emily would think if she ever met his friends.

"Heh heh...yeah..."he muttered distractedly. "You know, I really don't think you guys want to meet her..."

"Are you kidding? No girl is dating our Marky without our approval!"Maureen insisted.

"I...I'll ask her about it when I meet her then,"Mark said.

"Oh, yay!"Angel cheered, clapping excitedly. Mark forced a grin and an awkward laugh. Deep down, he had no intention of even mentioning his friends to Emily.

* * *

"Hey, you came!"Emily looked up happily as Mark entered the small coffee shop they had agreed to meet at.

"Yeah, I made it,"Mark said, walking in awkwardly. He didn't exactly fit in with all the other, richer people who were there. Many people turned to stare as he walked over to where Emily was seated, sitting across from her. She pushed a coffee over to him.

"I got you a plain coffee. You can add whatever you like to it. I figured I'd save you from waiting in the line, it can get pretty long,"Emily explained. Mark looked at the two person line and understood that the real reason Emily had done this for him was because she could tell he had no money to afford a coffe anyhow.

"Oh, thanks. How much do I owe you?"Mark asked, though honestly, he had no money to pay her back with. Emily knew this, and replied:

"Don't worry about it. It's on me."

"Are you sure?"Mark asked, to sound polite.

"Positive. So...what's up? You're a little late, did you get held up by all your friends?"Emily asked. Mark sighed.

"Well, it's different having to get places without a bike. I guess it didn't really click that it takes longer to walk places than ride,"he replied.

"Is there any way to fix your bike?"Emily asked.

"I doubt it. It's sitting out with the trash now,"Mark explained. "But as long as my camera if safe, I'll be fine."

"Oh yeah, how's your documenting going?"Emily asked curiously.

"Pretty good. I've been getting a lot of good footage,"Mark said.

"That's great."That's when Mark noticed Emily had a notebook in front of her, and a pen in her hand.

"Were you writing something?"he asked. Emily looked at the notebook, and smiled.

"Oh yeah...I write sometimes. Well, actually, a lot,"Emily admitted.

"Really? What do you write?"Mark asked.

"Oh, lots of things. Short stories, fictions...I've gotten a few published in local newspapers. My father always told me to just forget about writing. He said there was no money in it, I had no talent for it, and it was a waste of my life. He said I should do something practical, like be a nurse. So here I am,"Emily sighed.

"Emily, you shouldn't just give up your dreams because someone told you to,"Mark said.

"Yeah well...right now I need the money more than my dreams,"Emily pointed out. "But I still keep a notebook with me. You know, as a hobby. It makes me feel like maybe there _could_ be more to my life, someday..."

"Your life is what you make it,"Mark assured her.

"No. Your life is what you need it to be,"Emily corrected. "Circumstances force us to live lives we don't always want to live."

"But that doesn't mean we can't make the best of those lives,"Mark continued. Emily grinned.

"You've got a nice outlook on life, Mark,"she commented.

"Hey, take it from someone who's life hasn't been exactly perfect...it's _always_ better to have a more positive outlook on things, no matter how bad the circumstances,"Mark said.

"I'll remember that,"Emily replied. "And I hope any bad circumstances in your life clear up for you too."

"Thanks."Then Emily looked at her watch.

"Well, I've gotta get over to the hospital. I have a late shift tonight. But maybe we could do this again some time?"Emily asked hopefully, grabbing her notebook and her pen and putting them into a backpack.

"Sure. Give me a call,"Mark said. Emily smiled.

"Great. Talk to you later, Mark!"And she waved as she ran out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

So Mark and Emily continued to meet at the little coffee shop, every afternoon, while Emily was on break. They talked for about an hour each time...about life, family, work, New York. Mark tried his best to avoid any mention of his friends, but they were so much a part of his life that it was hard _not_ to.

"...and so after that I took the blue dye out of my hair and I have remained a blonde ever since,"Emily just finished telling Mark the story of when she had dyed her hair blue in high school. Mark laughed.

"Now you're one person that I could never picture with blue hair,"he said.

"Oh, my life has been pretty strange all right,"Emily assured him.

"Not as strange as mine, I bet,"Mark replied.

"Really? Have _you _ever dyed your hair blue?"Emily asked.

"No...but I _have_ been dumped by a lesbian,"Mark joked. Then he stopped. He hadn't even thought before he said that. He had no idea how Emily felt about that kind of stuff...

Lucky for Mark, she laughed.

"Okay, you win!"she said. Mark smiled, laughing more out of relief than happiness. "Was this one of your many mysterious friends that you have successfully managed to avoid talking about these past three weeks?"Mark blushed a little.

"I haven't been avoiding it..."he muttered.

"Yes you have! Trust me, I can tell. You told me these guys are like your family...there's no way you could talk about them this little unless you were trying to avoid it,"Emily explained. Mark sighed.

"I...I just don't know how you'd...well they're kind of...they don't..."He took a deep breath. "There are lots of things about my friends that most people aren't as open to as I am." Emily looked at him curiously.

"I like to think of myself as pretty open-minded. Try me,"she offered. Mark hesitated...

"It...it's complicated, Emily. Very complicated. I don't...I don't want to make you uncomfortable,"he said.

"Mark, I'm not going to stop being friends with you because of the people you hang out with! Besides, it takes a lot to freak me out,"Emily assured him.

"Yeah, well, this just might do the trick,"Mark sighed. Emily let out a deep breath.

"Okay. I'm not going to pressure you any more. Obviously this makes_ you_ uncomfortable and I don't want you to be uncomfortable around me,"she decided.

"Thanks Emily. I appreciate that,"Mark said. Emily shrugged.

"We all have our secrets,"she said. Mark nodded. Then a question came up that he had been meaning to ask Emily for a while...

"Hey Emily, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Does your husband mind that you meet me here every week?"Mark asked. Emily nearly squirted coffee out her nose. She coughed a little, placing her cup down, and looking up at Mark.

"I'm, uh, not married,"she replied.

"Oh! Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed like that...does your _boyfriend_ mind?"Mark re-worded.

"No boyfriend,"Emily said.

"Fiancee?"Mark guessed. Emily shook her head.

"There's...no male in the picture,"she admitted. Mark paused.

"...is there a _female_?"he asked. Emily laughed.

"No! Nothing like that,"she assured him.

"Okay, just checking,"Mark said.

"I'm a single mom-to-be,"Emily explained.

"That must be rough,"Mark commented. Emily shrugged.

"I'm getting on with life,"she said. "I've been trying to live life the way you do, Mark. Appreciate things, look on the bright side...and it's helping."Mark grinned.

"Well, glad I could help someone,"he said. "Does your, er...ex live around here?"Emily shook her head.

"No...no, he lives back in England. I moved here a few months ago. He left me when he learned about the baby, so I moved back here where most of my family lives so they could help me out a bit,"Emily explained.

"Oh, I bet they've been great,"Mark said.

"Actually...I haven't exactly found them to let them know yet. I guess I'm kind of avoiding it. I'm...I'm pretty scared to tell them. I'm afraid of their reactions, what they'll say, what they'll think of me..."Emily confessed.

"Emily, they won't turn you away, if that's what you mean,"Mark insisted.

"What if they do?"Emily asked. Mark sighed. He couldn't speak for her parents, he had no idea what they were like...

"Well...no matter what, this isn't something you can hide from them. But, if things don't work out too well...I'll be here for you,"Mark assured her. Emily smiled.

"Thanks Mark. That means a lot to me,"she said.

"Hey, no problem. I can't let a friend down,"Mark said.

"Then don't hide your other friends from me,"she said, putting her notebook into her backpack and swinging it onto her pack as she stood up. "By the way Mark, I've been writing a poem for you."Mark looked at her.

"Really?"he asked.

"Yeah. I started it last week,"Emily replied, wrapping her scarf around her neck.

"What's it about?"Mark asked curiously. Emily just smiled.

"We all have our secrets,"she replied. And she walked out of the coffee shop. Mark watched her as she ran across the street, and sighed. He had to tell her about his friends...but how?

* * *

**This one was a quickie, mostly just to set up Emily's past and get things ready for her introduction to the bohemians(which will come up in a chapter or two!)Thanks for all your feedback!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"Come on."Mark hadn't so much as set foot inside the coffee shop before Emily was pushing him back out the door.

"What? Where are we going?"he asked, confused.

"I'm going to get this over with while I have the courage. And you're coming,"Emily snapped forcefully, as she summoned a taxi.

"Er...okay?"Mark said, still confused, as a taxi pulled over and Emily shoved Mark inside.

"Take us into the city,"Emily barked at the cab driver.

"Where in the city?"the cab driver asked.

"_Just the city_!"Emily cried.

"Okay lady!"the cab driver said, throwing his hands up defensively. He began driving. Emily was scowling, a stray piece of hair falling into her face, making her look kind of crazed. Mark had never really known a pregnant woman before, but he assumed that this was some sort of odd mood swing, and decided it was best not to question Emily any more.

The cab dropped them off on the sidewalk in New York City and Emily jumped out, storming down the sidewalk. Mark took the two dollars he had in his pocket and handed it to the driver sheepishly, jumping out and following Emily.

"Emily! Wait up!"he called, running after her quickly.

"Walk faster!"Emily snapped back, completely disregarding Mark's request. Mark finally caught up with her just as she was walking into an apartment building. He followed her up three flights of stairs, and they stopped before door 3D. Then Emily froze, her scowl disappearing, being replaced by a look of fear.

"Oh God...what am I doing? Why am I here? What was I thinking!"she moaned.

"Well, I wish I could tell you, but...I have no idea what we're doing either,"Mark pointed out. Emily sighed, turning to Mark.

"I'm sorry, I just...I finally got up the courage to come here and tell my parents the news, and I was so ready and so pumped and now...now I can't!"Emily explained miserably.

"Yes you can Emily!"Mark assured her. "You made it all the way here, with me I might add, so I'm not letting you turn back now!"Emily sighed, looking at Mark.

"You're really not gonna let me go are you?"she asked.

"Not unless you knock me out and throw me down the stairs. And I would appreciate it if you didn't try that,"Mark replied. Emily let out a deep breath, nodding.

"Okay. I can do this...I can do this..."she repeated to herself. She raised her fist up...and knocked on the door. There was a pause...

"Coming!"a woman's voice called from inside. Emily was shaking a bit now. Then the door opened to reveal a woman, probably in her late fifties, with glasses, short brown hair and a very confused look. She smiled at Emily, though she looked confused.

"Emily! How are you dear? What are you doing out here? When did you come out?"the woman asked(she also had a British accent)Emily had her coat on, hiding her stomach, so her mother didn't notice anything.

"Oh, er...I just flew out recently. I've been working as nurse here, in the hospital,"Emily explained. She paused. "Um...there's something I need to tell you and dad."Emily's mother, Mrs. Weston, nodded.

"Of course dear, come in. Who's your friend?"she asked, spotting Mark.

"Oh, this is Mark Cohen. I met him at the hospital,"Emily replied.

"Oh, are you a nurse as well?"Mrs. Weston asked Mark. He frowned.

"Er, no..."

"No, he was one of my patients, mom. I was taking care of him,"Emily explained.

"Oh! I see. Well, come in Mark,"Mrs. Weston invited. Mark stepped into the cozy apartment(nothing like he and Roger's place), hands in his pockets uncomfortably. "Charles! Come here!"A tall, handsome man, also in about his fifties entered the room. He smiled when he saw Emily.

"Ah, Emily!"he said, walking over and hugging his daughter. "So nice to see you again. How have you been?"

"Fine dad..."Emily squeaked in reply. She looked very pale by then.

"Emily has some news for us,"Mrs. Weston replied. Mr. Weston eyed Mark, and grinned at him.

"Does she now?"he asked. "Well, let's sit down! What's your name young man?"

"Er, Mark. Mark Cohen,"Mark answered.

"Cohen. Nice name. Irish?"Mr. Weston guessed.

"No...Jewish,"Mark replied awkwardly.

"Oh. I see,"Mr. Weston said. "Well anyways, sit down! What's this great news you have to share with us Emily?"Mr. and Mrs. Weston sat down together on a couch. Emily took an arm chair across from them and Mark took the arm chair beside her.

"Well, um...you remember William from back home, right?"Emily began.

"Yes. You were dating him, weren't you? Fine fellow, I suppose. Never able to keep his priorities straight..."Mr. Weston commented. Emily took a deep breath.

"Yes, well...you see I'm, er...I'm going to...have a baby,"Emily said. Mrs. Weston squealed, and Mr. Weston looked shocked.

"Oh, wonderful darling!"Mrs. Weston said. "You and William, parents...imagine!"

"Um, actually that's why I'm here,"Emily interrupted. "William and I...aren't going to be parents."Mrs. Weston's smile faded, and Mr. Weston looked very stern.

"What do you mean?"Mrs. Weston asked.

"William left me when he learned about the baby. He left me with nothing. I used all the money I had to come out here and ask you for help. I've been here for almost three months now, I was too scared to come to you."Mrs. Weston looked mortified, and Mr. Weston, to Mark's surprise, looked furious.

"You mean to tell me you've been running around carrying some man's child who isn't even a part of your life any more?"he demanded.

"What was I supposed to do?"Emily replied.

"You shouldn't have even gotten involved with that boy! I knew he would mess up your life! I warned you, Emily!"Mr. Weston shouted.

"I didn't know! I made a mistake!"Emily insisted.

"And you will pay for it yourself! Now get out, I will not discuss this matter any further!" Mr. Weston hollered, pointing his finger at the door. Tears began to fall from Emily's eyes. She scowled at her father...and ran out the door. Mark stayed where he was, staring at Mr. Weston.

"What are you waiting for?"Mr. Weston growled at him.

"Charles, please,"Mrs. Weston sighed sadly.

"How could you do that to her?"Mark demanded suddenly. "Your own daughter came to you in her time of need, how could you just send her away like that!"

"Young man, this does not concern you-"Mr. Weston began.

"It _does_ concern me! Emily is my friend, and I don't want to see her hurt like that! You're trying to punish her for her mistakes...well I hope you get punished for yours!"And with that Mark turned and stormed out of the Weston's apartment.

He found Emily standing on the curb outside, crying into her hands. He walked over to her.

"Hey,"he greeted.

"Mark, just leave. You don't need to get wrapped up in this,"she sniffed.

"Well, I think it's a little late for that. I just blew up at your dad,"Mark replied. Emily suddenly looked up, staring at Mark.

"You...did?"she asked, shocked.

"Yeah, I know, I even surprised myself. But that was ridiculous Emily, the way he treated you. No father can act like that and get away with it,"Mark said. Emily was looking up at Mark in awe now.

"Wow...you stood up for me?"she asked.

"Of course! You're my friend, I couldn't stand to see you hurt like that,"Mark said. Emily was able to smile a little.

"Wow,"she repeated. "I guess I owe you a thank you."

"Don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure you would do the same for me,"Mark pointed out. Emily nodded, sniffing and wiping the tears from her eyes. Mark wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He needed some way to cheer her up, make her feel better about things for at least a little while.

"Hey Emily...I think it's about time I let you in on my secrets."

* * *

**Yes, the next chapter finally comes the moment we've all been waiting for...Emily meets the gang! I can't wait to write this one!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Roger, Collins and Angel were all at the loft that same afternoon. Angel was 'tidying up'...or shoving all the junk from the middle of the room into the corner. Collins was going through all the cabinets and the fridge, grimacing at all the strange things he came across. Roger sat at the window, strumming the tune to a new song.

"_Why_ do you two have baking soda? You never bake,"Collins said, pulling out an old, crusty box of baking soda. Roger looked over.

"Beats me,"he shrugged. "You do realize that we haven't opened that cabinet in about three years."

"...well what did you need baking soda for three years ago?"Collins asked, throwing the baking soda into a trash bag that Angel had brought over.

"I don't see how you two can even sleep on these beds, you have so much junk underneath them!"Angel commented as she looked under Roger's bed.

"Hey, we've gotta have someplace to hide things from each other,"Roger pointed out. Angel suddenly looked very interested.

"Ooh! What do you have to hide?"she asked, immediately looking back under the bed. Then the phone rang.

"You gonna get that?"Collins asked. Roger laughed a little.

"Are you kidding me?"he replied.

"_SPEAK._"Roger and Mark's voices called out on the answering machine.

"_Hey guys, it's Mark! Come over to the Life Café, all of you, half an hour. There's someone I'd like you to meet._"Roger, Collins and Angel all exchanged glances. Angel's jaw was dropped, and she leapt up from the ground.

"We're gonna meet Mark's nurse!"she squealed happily, bouncing up and down and clapping her hands excitedly. "Come on, let's go scare the poor thing!"Suddenly the phone rang again, the answering machine picking up.

"_Oh, and Angel...no costume, okay? Not right away..._"Angel stopped, grinning.

"Ooh! I love surprises!"

* * *

Mark and Emily were waiting outside the Life Café half an hour later.

"So, I'm finally going to meet your friends, huh?"Emily said, also sounding excited.

"Yeah...you are,"Mark said. Suddenly he heard shouts.

"Maureen! We don't want to come off too strong!"

"Oh, come on pookie, she won't care!"

"How do you know?_ Maureen_!"

"Who exactly are we meeting again, Roger?"

"That nurse chick that Mark's been seeing."

"Oooh, right!...what's her name again?"

"_Cooooooollins_, I feel so naked without my pumps!"

"It's okay, you'll get to show off your good side before then end of the night. I'll make sure of it! Haha!"That's when the group all came into view: Maureen was in the lead, followed by Joanne. Collins and Angel were right behind them, Angel actually looking like a normal man for once, and Roger and Mimi were bringing up the rear.

"Well...here they come,"Mark said, letting out a deep breath. Emily turned to see the group. Maureen came to a halt, causing a domino affect among the group as they all crashed into each other. She and Angel turned to each other...and both squealed excitedly. They started running towards Mark and Emily insanely. Collins laughed as Joanne screamed after Maureen to stop. Mimi grabbed Roger's arm, trying to make him walk faster.

"Oh-my-God!"Maureen cried, as she and Angel came to a screeching halt before Emily. They both giggled, smiling at her.

"Hey honey!"Angel greeted. "I'm Angel. And you must be Emily!"Emily seemed a little surprised by Angel's attitude at first, but seemed to catch on pretty quickly. She smiled politely.

"Very nice to meet you, er...Angel,"she said, holding out her hand. Angel took Emily's hand in both of hers(or at the moment, his)grinning.

"We've heard so much about you, sweetie!"he said.

"I'm Maureen Johnson,"Maureen introduced suddenly, pushing Angel aside. "I'm sure Mark's told you _all_ about how horrible I am for _getting him on TV_!"

"Oh! You're _Maureen_!"Emily said, remembering the name from Mark's description of his ex-girlfriend. "I certainly have heard a lot about you. Good things, of course!"Maureen giggled.

"Aw, she's adorable Mark! I just loooove that accent!"she commented. Joanne and Collins had caught up with them by then.

"Maureen, leave that girl alone!"Joanne scolded. She turned to Emily. "I'm sorry for any damage she may have caused you, physical or mental."Emily laughed.

"Oh no, it's fine,"she assured her. Joanne held out her hand in a very business-like way.

"Joanne Jefferson, criminal justice lawyer. You ever have any problems, just give me a call, hun,"Joanne said, handing Emily a business card. Emily smiled.

"Oh...thank you..."she replied. Then she noticed Maureen wrapping her arm around Joanne, as Joanne shoved her off, hissing something to her, and understood a bit more of the situation...

"Hey!"Collins interrupted quickly, wrapping Emily into a huge hug right away. "The name's Tom Collins. But you can call me Collins."

"Oh yes, Collins! I've heard so much about you from Mark,"Emily said. Collins laughed.

"Haha! I bet you did!"he said, as Angel laughed a little too. Emily forced a smile, not quite understanding. Mark's eyes widened and he quickly shook his head. Collins and Angel saw him and both stopped laughing.

"Er...I mean, Mark and I are close friends,"Collins added quickly. Emily nodded.

"Right, right. You're a professor aren't you?"she asked.

"Yeah! Yeah, that's me,"he said. There was a pause...and he and Angel quickly walked away, both snapping at each other under their breath.

"Hi, I'm Mimi!"Mimi leapt over to Emily excitedly. She had come right from 'work' at the Catscratch Club, and hadn't bothered to change. Emily examined her clothing, but managed to smile kindly anyways.

"Hello Mimi. I'm Emily,"she replied, shaking Mimi's hand.

"Oh yeah, I know!"Mimi replied. "We actually _all _know a lot about you, Mark talks about you all the time. Is it true that you got knocked up by some English guy who dumped you when he-"

"Hey Mimi, why don't you go reserve us a seat or something?"Mark interrupted quickly, pulling Mimi away from Emily. Roger was the last to step up. He grinned awkwardly.

"Er, hi. I'm Roger. Uh, Roger Davis. Mark's roommate,"he said.

"Oh, right! Of course. I've heard the most about you,"Emily said, smiling. "You and Mark are very close, aren't you?"Roger nodded...then he stopped.

"Well, we're not _that_ close. I mean we're not...we don't...I have a girlfriend!"Roger added quickly. Emily nodded, confused.

"Oh...um, good for you,"she replied, nodding. Roger sighed.

"Er...nice to meet you, Emily,"he said.

"You too, Roger,"Emily replied. There was a pause...and Roger quickly walked off. Mark had been forcing Maureen off of Joanne when he noticed Emily watching them. He quickly spun around.

"Oh! So...you met everyone?"he asked.

"Yeah, I did,"Emily replied.

"And you're still here! Congratulations,"Mark joked. Emily laughed.

"I like them,"she assured him. "They're very...energetic!"

"...for lack of better words, sure,"Mark replied. "Come on. We have to say hello to our favorite waiter!"

* * *

"No! No, no, no!"the waiter immediately began shouting the minute the gang walked through the door.

"What?"Mark asked innocently.

"No more customers! We're closing!"he cried frantically, trying to shove them back out the door.

"You're open every night til midnight,"Collins pointed out.

"And we're here cleaning up even later every time YOU people come!"the waiter grumbled. "Now _please leave_!"

"You can't deny us service! That's...that's injustice!"Maureen cried.

"Take it to your lawyer,"the waiter snapped back.

"Fine. Joanne, take care of him!"Maureen said. The waiter stopped as Joanne stepped forward.

"Sir...it would be best if you let my clients into this Café. Or I'll be meeting you in court first thing tomorrow,"she said. The waiter sighed, grabbing menus and giving them all a death glare.

"You always have to come on MY shift..."he growled, as he lead them over to the table. He threw the menus down, and stormed off. The gang all pushed the tables together to create one long one, so they could all sit comfortably.

"So Emily, have you ever been here before?"Maureen asked.

"Never,"Emily replied. The group all grinned at each other.

"Well, you're in for a wild ride, honey!"

* * *

As the night progressed, the gang continued to torture the waiter, much to Emily's enjoyment. She even started to join in after a while, which caused him to get more annoyed. And as more alcohol was put into the group, the less and less they tried to hide things from Emily. Maureen was practically sitting in Joanne's lap two hours later, and Angel had off-handedly mentioned little things about the fact that he was a drag queen several times, though Emily hadn't really caught on.

To Mark's relief, no one had mentioned the AIDS yet. He wanted to be the one to tell Emily. He knew he probably should have told her before she met the gang...but he wanted to her to have a good impression of them before she found out, in case that had any impact on her reaction.

Emily seemed to be having the time of her life, even though she was unable to drink because of the baby. She was very fond of Collins, and found just about everything Maureen did hysterically funny. And any encouragement went right to Maureen's head, so before you knew it she was dancing around the Café on chairs, blowing spitballs at the staff and constantly threatening to pull off her top.

Joanne was trying to come off as civilized as possible, though that was hard when everyone around you was dancing and jumping and yelling like maniacs.

Roger had been uncomfortable at first, though after a little bit Mimi had got him to relax. Mimi was fascinated by the fact that Emily was pregnant, and continued to ask her questions about what it was like, amazed by the answers.

Mark, of course, had his camera with him. So he was running all around the table, filming his friends and all their crazy antics. He was filming Angel and Collins at the moment.

"...and so I told that waiter he should just take his stupid 'extra fee for pushing the tables together' and stick it up his-"

"Okay, _thank you_ Collins!"Mark interrupted quickly. Collins laughed.

"Ooh, all my blemishes must be showing!"Angel squealed, examining his face in a wine glass on the table.

"What blemishes?"Collins snorted.

"Oh please!"Angel snapped, hitting him playfully. "I've got to go powder my nose a bit, boys!"And he stood up, walking over to the ladies bathroom with his backpack that he carried all his makeup and creams in secretly. So Mark moved over to the other side of the table...

"Close on Emily Weston, newcomer to la vie boheme!"he narrated. Emily smiled at the camera, laughing a little. "So tell us Emily, from an outsider's point of view...how do you like it so far? Be honest."

"Really? You want me to be honest?"Emily asked.

"Yeah!"Mark insisted. Emily sighed...then grinned, looking up.

"I LOVE it!"she cried, laughing again. Mark also laughed, and stopped filming.

"You really like it?"he asked.

"Yes! Mark, this place is great, your friends are great, your..._life_ is great! This is amazing, I've never felt so...comfortable before!"Emily explained. That's when she noticed that Mark wasn't laughing or smiling any more. She frowned. "Why? What's going on?"

"I...I think it's time I told you about my friends,"Mark said.

"Oh come on Mark, there's not much to tell. I understand about Maureen and Joanne and Angel and Roger..."Emily insisted.

"I know, but–wait, did you say Roger?"Mark asked suddenly.

"Yeah,"Emily replied. "Come on Mark, you can't fool me there. There's not even a doubt about _him_!"Mark had to stop himself from laughing out loud. He grinned a little...then stopped. He had to get this over with. Emily needed to know.

"Um, Roger's not gay. He and Mimi are together. And there's something you should know about them..."Mark began. Emily was listening...

"_Hellooooooooo_!"Angel had returned from the bathroom...in her full costume. Emily's jaw dropped as everyone else cheered and clapped.

"There's my girl!"Collins laughed as Angel skipped over to the table. Angel stopped beside Emily.

"I take it Mark hasn't told you about this yet, huh?"she asked. Emily shook her head. "Look, if it makes you uncomfortable, I could go back and change..."

"No!"Emily blurted out. "No, you don't have to do that! I'm sorry, I didn't...I just wasn't expecting this!"Emily smiled. "I like it. It's a nice outfit."Angel squealed, hugging Emily.

"She's a keeper, Mark!"she insisted. And she skipped over to Collins. Emily laughed.

"Mark, your friends are amazing. _You're_ amazing! You make me feel so much better about things, like...like a new person!"she began.

"Yeah, um...about my friends..."Mark sighed. He had to do this. He had to. He–

Suddenly there came the sound of 4 beepers. Roger, Mimi, Collins and Angel, unaware of Mark's horrified expression, all casually took them out.

"AZT time!"Mimi announced. Emily froze, and Mark's heart began pounding quickly.

"AZT...as in, the medicine for-"Mark nodded. Emily looked back at the four people, her face becoming pale.

"Oh my God...they have-"Mark nodded again, hardly able to make eye contact with Emily.

"I...I know I should have told you-"

"Mark, how could you _not_ tell me this? AIDS is an epidemic, it_ kills_ people! Mark...this is serious, why didn't you tell me?"Emily demanded.

"I...I don't know! I didn't know how you'd react! I wanted you to meet them first, I didn't want to scare you off..."Mark explained quickly.

"Mark...I don't even know what to say. I'm a nurse, I work in a hospital, how could you assume I'd be scared off by something like this? And most importantly, how could you be ashamed of something like this?"Emily asked.

"I'm not ashamed!"Mark cried.

"Apparently you are. If you weren't ashamed you would have been able to tell me about this without being scared that I would stop liking them,"Emily pointed out.

"Look, Emily, I'm sorry! I know I shouldn't have kept this from you, it wasn't fair to you, it wasn't fair to them..."Mark insisted. "Please Emily, don't be mad!"Emily shook her head.

"I'm not mad, Mark,"she assured him. "I'm disappointed."She stood up, grabbing her coat and her bag.

"Emily, stop! I'm sorry, I really am!"Mark cried, following her to the door.

"Don't apologize to me, Mark. Apologize to them,"Emily said. "And until you do, don't expect to hear from me."And Emily turned, walking from the Life Café.

"Emily!"Mark called after her. But she was already marching off across the street. Mark sighed.

"Ooh, tough pal."Mark turned to see the waiter standing there, shaking his head. "Now maybe you won't be in such a hurry to come back!"Mark sighed, storming pass him back to the table.

"Hey Mark, where did Emily go?"Mimi asked, as she, Roger, Collins and Angel finished their medicines and returned to the table. They noticed Mark's miserable expression as he grabbed his coat and his back pack.

"Marky, what happened? Where are you going?"Maureen asked.

"I'm leaving. Here."He tossed the ten dollars he had onto the table. "I'll see you at home,"he mumbled to Roger as he walked out the door. The gang all exchanged glances.

"...was it something we said?"

* * *

**I know, no happy ending to this chapter, I'm sorry! I think the next chapter might be the last, or close to it if it's not. Things are going to wrap up pretty soon. But first, Marky has to apologize to his friends!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Mark lay on his bed that night, thinking about everything that had happened. _"How could you be ashamed of something like this?"_ He _wasn't_ ashamed. Not of his friends!_"If you weren't ashamed you would have been able to tell me about this without being scared that I would stop liking them."_ Emily was right. He should have been able to tell her. But how could he tell this to the others? How could he be ashamed? How could he make this up to them?

"Hey."Mark looked up to see Roger in the door. Thankfully, he was alone. Mark didn't think he could bare facing Roger _and_ Mimi at the moment.

"Hey..."he muttered back, unable to make eye contact with his friend. Roger walked closer.

"So, uh...did Emily have a good time?"he asked casually.

"Yeah, I guess,"Mark replied simply.

"Oh. That's good,"Roger said, nodding. "Did _you_ have a good time?"Mark sighed, sitting up.

"I don't know if I want to talk about it,"he said. Roger shrugged.

"Okay. We don't have to talk,"he assured him. "I was just wondering."

"Well, let's just say we won't be seeing much more of Emily until-"Mark stopped. Roger was staring at him.

"Until...?"he repeated questioningly.

"Nothing. Never mind,"Mark insisted, laying back down on his bed.

"Okay,"Roger said, taking off his coat and going over to his own bed. "But if you ever want to talk about it..."

"Yeah. You'll be here,"Mark finished.

"Right."Roger picked up his guitar. "Is it okay if I play a little?"

"Yeah, sure,"Mark sighed. And Roger began playing a soft, slow tune. Mark closed his eyes as he listened. He needed some way to make it up to them...some way to make things right with Emily...

* * *

That night, Mark had a dream.

He was wandering through New York City...only it was empty. He saw Roger and Mimi, and he tried to say hello, but they walked by. Then he saw Collins and Angel...they also walked by. Then Joanne and Maureen. None of them seemed to notice Mark standing right there. Mark kept walking, looking for someone that would talk to him, someone that would notice him...

That's when Emily appeared, smiling. She took Mark's hand, and lead him into the Life Café, which was crowded with people. All Mark's friends were seated there, and now that he was with Emily, they all noticed him. They greeted him, waving and smiling.

Suddenly the horrible sound of beepers flooded the Café. Everyone got up and began running away. Everyone but Mark's friends. Mark found himself caught in the crowd, being shoved towards the door. He didn't want to go. He was being forced. He tried to reach back to Emily, but she was glaring at him and shaking her head. Mark watched as his friends slowly began disappearing, one by one, as Emily stood there, shaking her head.

Mark was thrown out onto the street, alone again. No one was there. Not even his friends. Not Emily. That's when Mark noticed his camera in his hands. He help it up to his eye...

Inside, he saw images of his friends, all laughing and smiling and looking happy. The only place he could see his friends was inside his camera. They were trapped inside, and Mark was outside, alone, with nothing but his camera...

* * *

Mark sat up abruptly. The loft was still dark. It was the middle of the night. He looked at his watch, still on his wrist. 3:00 in the morning. He sighed, putting his head in his hands again, and thinking about his dream. Or nightmare.

He didn't want to be alone with his camera. He didn't want his friends to be trapped _inside _his camera. He wanted to be with them, he wanted to be a part of them, he wanted the truth to leave the lense of his camera. And that night, Mark knew what he had to do.

* * *

Roger awoke the next morning to find his roommate working insanely cutting bits of film together. He yawned, stretching his arms and walking over to Mark, who had all his film spread out across the loft.

"What're you doing, man?"he asked.

"Working,"Mark replied.

"Yeah, I can see that. What time did you get up?"Roger asked.

"Oh, I've been up since 3:00,"Mark said. Roger frowned.

"Are you crazy!"he asked.

"I had a moment of inspiration, I had to act on it,"Mark insisted.

"Well don't forget to act on your exhaustion too. You need sleep,"Roger pointed out.

"Not now, I can't stop. This has to be perfect..."Mark muttered, examining a strip of film. Roger sighed, shaking his head.

"You're nuts, you know that?"he said, walking to the fridge. Mark grinned.

"You'll forgive me when you see the final cut,"he assured him. Roger laughed, but when he was out of earshot, Mark let out a deep breath. "I sure hope you'll forgive me..."

* * *

_**TWO WEEKS LATER**_

"_Hi, you've reached Emily Weston, I'm not here right now but please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can._"

"_Hi, Emily, it's Mark. Mark Cohen. I mean, you probably know who I am and all, but just in case you met another Mark recently, I wanted it to be clear which Mark was calling. No that I'm implying that you're meeting other men or anything...I mean, it's fine if you do. Not that that's up to me anyways...okay, right, um, I'd really appreciate it if you could come into the city tonight. Times Square, seven o'clock. There's uh...something you should see. All right, I'll talk to you later...I hope._"

* * *

"Hey Benny, thank for helping me out with this."Benjamin Coffin II grinned at Mark, as they stood in Times Square at 6:50 that evening.

"Well, my boss is gonna pummel me when he finds out I used Cyberland's equipment to help you with this...but it's for a good cause,"he explained. Then he paused. "...isn't it?"Mark grinned too.

"I hope so,"he said. Suddenly Maureen, Joanne, Angel, Collins, Roger and Mimi all came walking around the corner.

"Well, I'd better get going,"Benny said suddenly. "I'll catch you later, Mark."

"Sure. Thanks again, Benny!"Mark called, waving as Benny walked off. Benny waved back, as he walked over to his Range Rover, got in, and drove away.

"Marky!"Maureen squealed, running over and hugging Mark. "We've hardly seen you at all lately! How have you been?"

"You were pretty upset about Emily, huh?"Angel asked sympathetically.

"Look man, I just want you to know that we're all still here for you,"Collins assured Mark, patting his shoulder. Mark grinned.

"Thanks guys,"he said.

"So, why did you want to meet here, in Times Square? I mean, we never come out here,"Joanne pointed out. Mark looked at his watch. 6:56.

"Well, I have something planned for tonight, actually,"he said.

"Ooh, a Mark-planned night!"Angel giggled.

"Gee, can't wait to see where this goes,"Roger teased. "Will be sitting on the sidewalk while Mark dances around us with a camera? Or will we be _walking _down the sidewalk while Mark dances around us with a camera?"

"Roger!"Mimi scolded, hitting Roger's arm. Mark just laughed.

"Not exactly,"he replied. He looked at his watch again, then looked around. 6:58, and no sign of Emily. She was probably still mad at him. She probably wouldn't even come...

At 6:59, the big screen that had been projecting images from the news suddenly went blank. The news that had been on was shut off, as static filled the huge display screen. The group all looked around nervously.

"Whoa...what's going on?"Mimi asked. People all around Times Square were stopped, muttering questioningly. Everyone except Mark.

_**4----3----2----1----**_

Suddenly an image came on the screen. It was an old, homeless man, grinning and waving. Then there was a little boy, waving as his mother pulled him across the street. Then there was a clip of Angel and Collins skipping down the sidewalk. Then there was an angry-looking homeless women, slumped against a wall. Then Roger, playing his guitar. Then Joanne and Maureen. Then a clip of an old, homeless couple huddled over a fire. Then there was a clip of Benny, grinning.

Words flashed across the screen: _Can you tell how many of those people are infected with the AIDS virus?_

All the clips were shown again, faster this time, flipping by quickly. Then came more words: _Anyone can have AIDS. AIDS does not change how good of a friend you are. AIDS does not change how kind of a person you are. AIDS is not something to be ashamed of. If you're afraid to support someone with AIDS, then get with reality. ACTUAL REALITY. ACT UP. FIGHT AIDS._

More clips of Mark's friends and various homeless people appeared, as those last words flashed on the screen. The screen began to fade to black, as more words appeared: _This documentary created by Mark Cohen, to enlighten New York of the current AIDS epidemic...and to apologize to his friends for being an ass._

And the screen went black. For a good ten seconds, Times Square was completely silent. Then, Collins began to clap. Angel joined in quickly, followed by Maureen and Joanne. Mimi and Roger also joined in, as well as a nearby cab driver. A few shop owners who had left their stores to watch the documentary on the big screen, also began clapping. Then some people on the sidewalk. Pretty soon, all of Times Square was applauding Mark Cohen's documentary.

And the ones clapping the hardest were Mark's friends. He turned to them all.

"Look guys...I need to apologize. I always thought I was 100 okay with the fact that you're sick...but Emily showed me that I wasn't. I was ashamed to tell her the truth. And that's not right. I shouldn't be ashamed of that, I shouldn't be ashamed of _you_. You're my family, you're the most important people in my life, and I could never do anything to hurt you. So...I had to make things right. I hope this meant something to you, and...I hope Collins isn't mad that I used his theory without asking,"Mark explained. They were all smiling at Mark, in a way they had never smiled at him before.

"Aw...come here, man!"Collins grabbed Mark, pulling him into a huge hug. Angel quickly joined, squeezing Mark in between them.

"Mark, you're the best documenter ever!"she cried. The second they let go of Mark, Mimi came running over, throwing her arms around him.

"Mark, you're amazing, you know that!"she asked. Mark laughed.

"Thanks Mimi,"he said. Then Roger came over, hugging his friend.

"You deserve a lot more credit than you get, man,"he joked. "That was incredible."

"Hey, you're the guy who made that movie?"the cab driver called over suddenly.

"Uh...yeah! Yeah, that's me,"Mark answered.

"Hey...thanks pal. Some of us really needed that,"he said. And he waved as he drove off. Mark grinned, as Maureen wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Marky, when you're famous...you're taking me with you!"she insisted.

"Well don't strangle the boy or he'll be dead before he can ever _be_ famous!"Joanne snapped, pulling Maureen off of him. Mark laughed, relieved that all his friends were able to forgive him. But there was one thing still missing...

Suddenly Mark felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around...

"Hey Mark."Emily smiled at him, with her big, kind smile. Mark grinned back widely.

"You came,"he said, trying to sound calm, though he was bubbling over with excitement.

"Of course I came!"Emily replied. There was a pause.

"Um...so, what'd you think?"Mark asked, rather nervously.

"That was...amazing Mark. It must have taken a lot of courage for you to be able to do that, and you really did it,"Emily said. "Look, I felt terrible about that night. I got way out of line, I mean, it wasn't my place to be telling you what to do anyways..."

"Emily...you were right. You made me realize something that needed to be fixed. So thank you,"Mark replied. Emily grinned, hugging Mark.

"You're amazing, Mark,"she said.

"So...does this mean we're still on for coffee this week?"Mark asked hopefully. Emily nodded.

"I think we are,"she agreed, nodding.

"Great!"Mark said happily.

"Hey Mark!"Mark turned back to the group.

"How did you manage all of that anyways?"Collins asked.

"Yeah, I mean, you must have had help with all that technical stuff,"Maureen added. Mark grinned, as he spotted the Range Rover, still parked down the street.

"Oh, I just had some help from an old friend,"he replied.

"Well whoever your friend is, give them my number, because I could use a production manager like that!"Maureen announced.

"Hey!"Joanne cried. And the group all laughed, together...as a family once again.

* * *

_**EPILOGUE**_

"Hey!"Mark greeted happily as he walked into the coffee shop.

"Hello there,"Emily replied, closing her notebook. It was about a month later. Mark and Emily had continued to meet every week, as usual. And they had remained friends.

"So, how's your week so far?"Mark asked, sitting down.

"I have some good news. Well, actually, lots of good news,"Emily replied.

"Really? Tell me,"Mark urged.

"Well, my mother called last night. She and my father want to talk to me,"Emily explained. Mark frowned.

"And this is good news..._how_?"he asked.

"She said they wanted to apologize, and talk to me about moving in with them!"Emily finished.

"No way! Emily, that's great!"Mark said happily.

"So, since I finally had some good news and a burst of excitement...I was also able to finish your poem last night,"Emily continued.

"Really? So I get to read it?"Mark asked hopefully.

"Sure. Go pick up a copy of the New York Times,"Emily replied, grinning. Mark's jaw dropped.

"You got it published!"he cried.

"Oh, more than just that. I got _hired_! I didn't want to tell you until things were definite, but I've been working on an internship at the New York Times...and I got the job!"Emily cried.

"Emily, that's...that's amazing!"Mark exclaimed.

"Oh, and also..."Emily suddenly pulled out a little, dark picture.

"Whoa...what's this?"Mark asked, squinting at it.

"My son,"Emily replied.

"_Oh_!"Mark said, shocked. Emily laughed.

"It's an ultra-sound. That's my son, who will be born in almost exactly two months," Emily explained.

"Wow! That's amazing...look at how small that thing is!"Mark said, examining the picture. "Do you have any name ideas yet?"

"Oh, I have a few,"Emily assured him. "I particularly like Jonathan. It sounds like a good, strong name."

"Hmm...Jonathan sounds like a composer's name,"Mark commented.

"My son, a composer...well, all I know is he better compose something good! Not another silly Broadway show,"Emily joked. The two laughed.

"Wow...so you're finally getting what you wanted out of life, huh?"Mark asked.

"Well, I just made the best out of a bad situation. Someone once told me that helped," Emily said, smiling. Mark smiled back.

"That person must have known what he was talking about,"he replied.

"Yeah. I think he did."

Later that day, Mark was able to pick up a copy of the New York Times. On the fourth page, was a poem: _Hero of La Vie Boheme_, by Emily Weston, in dedication to a close friend.

* * *

**And there you are, the end of the story! Sorry, no baby. You can imagine what it would be like with Mark taking care of a baby!(if you're really wondering, check out my other story 'Bohemian Day Care'! Haha, just kidding)Anyways, I'm sure lots of you caught on to the name choice at the end there. I love sticking in clues like that. Well, thank you for reading my story. I'm glad so many of you enjoyed it! Thanks again!**


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